Department of Zoology

Natural Science department was established in 1936. Zoology for B. Sc Degree was offered in 1957. Life Sciences in recent years have advanced with particular emphasis on molecular biology, bio-informatics, genetic diseases, human genome project, cloning and reproductive biology.The study of Zoology is integral to the understanding of Life and life processess.

Zoology is an important branch of Biological Science dealing with animal Morphology, Physiology, Biochemistry and Biodiversity. The Department of Zoology at St. Agnes College is a center for higher education with five faculty members, two technical assistants and two hundred and fifty-three students. The teachers are well experienced and know their students to facilitate the learning process according to their abilities. The Department strives for academic excellence through innovative methods and the use of teaching, learning and evaluation processes to assess the progress.

It is very heartening to note that students, who are mildly interested in animals, gradually get immersed into the subject because of project work they do each year as a part of their curriculum. Visits to farms, dairies, poultry yards, sericulture, aquaculture Departments and other nature treks provide avenues for staff and students to view nature in its own setting. The students learn to make a field study report based on the area of interest.

Profile of the Department

Papers Offered:

Activities (2011 - 2012)

 Academic:

• Guest lecture by Dr Aravind Madhyastha, on – ‘Urban Biodiversity & its conservation’ Scientist Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment (ATREE), Bangalore.- 23.08.2011
• Curricular activities Planned:Model makingon ‘Chemistry- the Basis of Life’ by students.

o   Guppy Breeding and distribution. 
o   Earthworm culture and distribution.
o   MEDIPROBE- A health check-up campaign- Inaugural, Demonstration and Training of student volunteers by hospital Nursing Superintendents’, Father Muller’s Hospital, Mangalore.- 3.08.2011   

Inauguration of MEDIPROBE- A Health checkup Campaign

           

MEDIPROBE- Demonstration and training of student volunteers by experts. 

Seminars and Workshops Attended:

Staff participated inthe following seminars/workshops

Seminars / Workshops Conducted:

• UGC sponsored National level seminar on “Research Perspectives in Eco-conservation” was conducted in the year 2005-06.
• UGC sponsored Regional level workshop on “Practical skills in biology” A training programme for High school & Junior college Teachers in the year 2006-07
• One day Regional Level Seminar “MEDISCAPE” on Health and Hygiene in the year 2008-09
• One day Workshop on, for Mangalore University Zoology teachers (MUZTA) to demonstrate the newly introduced experiments in the year 2008-09.
• UGC Sponsored State level seminar on “Conservation of Natural Resources & Waste Management” in the year 2009-‘10
• Workshop on “Biodiversity” organized in Association with Science Regional Centre Pilikula, to celebrate National Science day, sponsored by Karnataka Science & Technology Academy, Karnataka in the year 2009-‘10

Student Projects:

UGC sponsored student projects under CPE were conducted in the years 2008-’09 and 2010-‘11

Every student gets a chance to give at least one Seminar presentation with Audio visual/ICT modes.
Wall magazine for senior students brings in pertinent information and makes for healthy reading habits.
 Project work improves their observation and creativity skills. They learn to document factual information and present a Report with pictures, photographs, flow charts, graphs and labels.
 The Department maintains a subject library for the benefit of the staff and students. Open access to the Departmental Library creates reading habits and better performance in the examination.
 The slow learners are motivated by personal/academic counseling, tutorials and guided group study arranged by the Department. Through the facility of the Research and Development Cell, the Department strengthens and encourages the academically motivated students to take up Honors Programmes. The Department organizes guest lectures of interest in the subject by eminent persons and professionals. These lectures are meant to help the students to choose a career or a line of higher studies and pursue it.
 Social concern for the less fortunate is strengthened through the co-curricular activities of the AIDS Awareness Cell. The students express compassion for the sick, share gifts at Christmas and spend time with the HIV positive patients at Sneha Sadan, Gurpur, Mangalore.
 Love for Nature and Conservation of the natural resources is encouraged through the cleanliness drive, vermitechnology and project study. Maintenance of college garden by utilizing organic manure and biopesticides become means to promote healthy persons in a clean and healthy environment.
 All co-curricular programmes are planned to reinforce classroom learning and with a view to promote human persons who are academically well informed and environmentally caring individuals.

Research And Publications –

i) 2005-2006: Minor Research Projects

UGC Sponsored Minor Research Project on “Ants of Mangalore”- A Study of their Abundance, Diversity and Ecological Significance.).
Undertaken By: Prof. Saramma E.P; Mrs Emima David.

ii) Publications:

• The Departmental Newsletter-

‘NEOBIOS’ –Vol-I (2007-2008) was published- Edited by Prof. Saramma E.P.
‘NEOBIOS’ –Vol-II (2008-2009) was published - Edited by Mrs. Emima David

• Mrs. Emima David completed her M.Phil studies and presented a paper on – ‘A comparative study of Abundance Diversity and Ecological Significance of Ants’. (2008-2009)

• Miss. Vidya L. completed her M.Phil studies and presented a paper on - ‘The Study of Biology of Insects belonging to Families Aphididae and Pseudococcidae’ (2008-2009).

• UGC Sponsored Students Projects (2008-‘09)

• Techniques of chromosome preparation and identification in Drosophila sps. By : Sr. Vijaya Mary Pothula and Aysha Nishana
• Techniques of Chromosome preparation for the study of chemically induced mutagenecity By: Bindiya and Shwetha Bhat K.
• Study of tropical ornamental fishes and their breeding by Naseeba Fathima and Mariyam Shafeeka A.

Honours and Awards:

• Mrs. Emima David completed her M.Phil degree.
• Miss. Vidya L. completed her M.Phil degree.

Honours Programmes:

Staff Members:

• Biodiversity Studies

• Techniques of chromosome preparation and identification in Drosophila sps.
  
• Techniques of Chromosome preparation for the study of chemically induced mutagenecity
  

• Study of tropical ornamental fishes and their breeding.

FUTURE PLANS: